


God Bless Us Everyone

by delphia2000



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-09
Updated: 2010-06-09
Packaged: 2017-10-10 00:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/93321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delphia2000/pseuds/delphia2000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short fluffy Christmas fic about team-building during the first year. Jack needs to get to know his team better. Written as a Secret Santa gift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	God Bless Us Everyone

"He's an alien."

Jack sighed. He thought he'd been making some kind of progress with General Hammond in the short time they'd been working together, but it wasn't looking good. "I know that, sir, but this is a team-building exercise. I need to get to know my team when they're off-duty. Even though they don't have holidays on Chulak, now that Teal'c is living here on Earth, I think it's a good thing for him to learn about our culture and about holidays. Especially this one. It's centered on family. He has no family anymore except for us. Same with Jackson and, well, I'm not sure about Carter. She's being cagey about it. But she did say she was going to do some tweaking on the gate programs, so I know she's not going anywhere for Christmas either."

Hammond looked as if he wanted to say something more, then he hesitated. Of course, he'd had access to the personnel files that Jack didn't and probably knew exactly what Carter's situation was. "I can give you access to a VIP room to decorate. That way you wouldn't have to take him off-base."

"Haul boxes of my personal holiday decorations down 20 some odd levels, sir? And not to mention the ban against use of, shall we say, holiday spirits on base?"

"Teal'c doesn't drink alcohol, Colonel."

"But Jackson and Carter do and so do I. You know how tightly wound Daniel is right now, Sir. A little judicious use of alcohol for medicinal purposes wouldn't do him any harm. Maybe give him the chance to let off a little steam. It's been hardest on him."

Hammond sighed. Jack could tell he was weakening. "The Pentagon is holding us responsible for Teal'c's behavior, Colonel."

"He's been a loyal member of my team for more than 2 dozen missions, General. I'm willing to put my career on the line for this. I promise you there will be no problems."

Hammond reached into his desk and pulled out some paperwork. "Don't make me regret this, Colonel, or you'll be pulling latrine duty at Leavenworth."

Jack suppressed a grin. "Thank you, sir. You have my word."

~~~~~

"Exactly where are we going, Sir?" asked Carter as she slid into the back seat of the truck next to their packs. Daniel was busy next to him in the front, showing Teal'c how to use the seat belt.

"It's a surprise," Jack answered her as he pulled slowly out of the parking space. It was snowing harder and he figured the strangeness of the vehicle's motion would be enough for Teal'c to deal with without getting them into an accident or sliding off the slippery mountain road.

He presented the papers that would spring Teal'c from the base for the next 48 hours to the guard who stared at the big Jaffa. Jack glared at bit at the man's ogling which was probably the reason the young soldier had kept his tongue and just saluted as he waved them out.

"Bit different from Chulak, eh?" asked Daniel.

"I have seen this phenomenon called snow a few times in my travels while in the service of Aphopis," Teal'c replied, "however, it was not considered a desirable climate and was generally avoided. With good reason, I am thinking. It is….cold."

Jack turned on the CD player and began to hum along with the Manheim Steamroller's rendition of 'Deck the Halls.'

"I had you figured for Country, Sir, not modern," Carter commented.

"You figured wrong, which, by the way, is exactly the reason for this little expedition. We need to get to know one another if we're going to be working together. So what kinds of Christmas music do you prefer, Carter?"

"Uh, well, I did pretty much wear out my mom's Bing Crosby album, so I guess you'd have to put me in the traditional category. Daniel?"

Jack glanced over at Daniel out of the corner of one eye as he was concentrating on the road. The man seemed a bit reluctant to answer. "I've never listened to much holiday music."

"I am fond of the song about the creature that tramples Grandmother; even though I find some of the words confusing, the melody is particularly harmonious," offered Teal'c, causing Daniel to roll his eyes.

"Where did you hear that one?" he asked, glancing at Jack.

"Sgt. Siler was kind enough to loan it to me recently. One of his youngsters left a cassette tape of it in his jacket pocket. He thought I might find it amusing."

"See," Jack said, "I'm not the only one corrupting him."

"Nice to know it's a team effort," remarked Daniel. "Where did you say we were going?"

"I didn't," Jack smiled.

~~~~

They drove up to the isolated house in a nice neighborhood with every home set back on large parcels of land. Each team member carried their own pack plus a bag or two taken from the back of Jack's pickup as Jack unlocked the door. He headed straight into the house, while the others stopped in the foyer to hang up coats and leave snowy boots. It was Sam who finally said, "It's his house. His home."

She was looking at a picture that hung prominently near the front door where anyone entering the house would see it immediately. It was Jack with the boy they'd seen the time the Crystal Being had come through the gate with them. The Being had become Jack's dead son Charlie for a short time.

"Yeah," said Daniel.

"You've been here?" Sam asked.

Daniel nodded. "When I first got back from Abydos, I didn't have anywhere to go. Jack brought me here for a few days til I got the apartment."

"Is this.."

"No," Daniel quickly cut in, "Sara lives in their old house. He bought this…after everything."

Jack came back in and pointed down the hall way. "There are two other bedrooms down that way besides mine. I was thinking Sam in one, Teal'c takes the other since you don't really sleep much and need some quiet for your Kel…thing."

"Kel-no-reem," Teal'c corrected.

"Right. So anyway, I guess you can take your choice of the couch or bunking in with me, Danny," Jack offered.

"Couch is fine, but I'll put my stuff in your room, if you don't mind."

Sleeping arrangements settled, Jack announced that their first group project would be trimming the bare tree that stood in the living room. He gave charge of the project to Sam while he would be preparing their lunch. "There will be no throwing of tinsel," Sam announced as she headed to drop her pack in a guest room.

Teal'c followed, "Why would I wish to throw tinsel, Major Carter?"

"It's a guy thing."

~~~

It was late when Jack crept quietly out into the living room with the stack of gifts. He'd hoped Daniel would be asleep, but that was not the case. The youthful archeologist was still sitting up on his couch bed, staring vacantly. "I thought you'd be asleep by now," Jack commented as he settled the stack of gifts under the tree. "If you aren't asleep, Santa won't come."

"Looks to me like he's already here. We didn't bring gifts for you. Didn't know you be doing this."

Jack shrugged and went to the small bar. "These are from Santa, remember? I'm sure he got me what I wanted. Wouldn't be Christmas without gifts. Besides, I didn't do this to get things. I'm trying to build a team here, to get to know you better."

"And if you don't like what you find out?"

Jack poured his drink over some ice. "Too late, I already like you. And Teal'c and even Sam in spite of her being a scientist and all. You want something?" he asked, indicating the bottles.

"Yeah. Surprise me."

Jack busied himself making another drink and then took it to Jackson before settling down in a comfortable chair close by. The room with lit with only the fireplace that had burned low and the light of the Christmas tree.

Daniel took a sip and sputtered, coughing before he gasped out, "What the hell is this?"

"Brandy. Good stuff, aged for about a hundred years, give or take. Figured you could appreciate something that old.

Daniel held up the glass, looking through it at the tree first and then at Jack, before taking another cautious sip. "I could acquire a taste for this."

"You're holding back, Jackson," Jack accused gently.

"In what way?"

"You're doing everything you've been asked to, but it's all half-assed and you don't even have the guts to tell me to stick it."

"You're stronger than I am," Daniel told him. "You'd beat me up. And maybe I want to do it. Maybe I just don't know how to get into the spirit."

"What were your Christmas' like when you were a kid?"

"Look, Jack, all this merry gentlemen and peace on earth stuff is just crap and we both know it," Daniel grumbled.

"That bad?"

Daniel sighed and Jack knew he had gotten through to something deep in the man. "Bloody awful since my parents died. What about yours?"

Jack girded himself for a second, letting the hurt rise and fall again. "Bloody awful since my son died."

They sat quietly in the dark, sipping their drinks and wallowing comfortably together.

"That brings us up to date then," Daniel finally said. "So why this?"

"We're a team. We need to be able to know each other in order to depend on each other. And for now, we are all we have. This is the first time I've gotten to hear about Sam coming from a military family and that she has a brother who hates the military and isn't talking to her. Explains a few things about her. I'm just beginning to understand how much Teal'c gave up joining us. He's extraordinary. So is Sam. And you. I want you to know that even if I hate it when you drop your gun and do your 'we come as peaceful explorers' thing, I appreciate that you're the kind of guy who can do that. You've saved our bacon several times over because you're that guy."

"Thank you, Jack. I never thought I ever hear anything like that from you."

O'Neill shrugged and drained his glass before standing up. "That's because you're dreaming and I'll deny it all in the morning. I'm turning in. Good-night, Daniel."

"Good-night, Jack. And Jack….Merry Christmas."

Jack set his glass down on the bar and turned to face his friend. "God bless us everyone," he echoed in a deep tone. "I've always wanted to say that."

There was a bit of a twinkle in Daniel's eye that hadn't been there before as the man set his glass down on the coffee table and relaxed back into the plump couch cushions. Jack strolled over to pick up the throw that had slid to the carpet and tossed it over the reclining figure. "By the way, you're on my snowball team tomorrow. I hope you don't throw like a girl."

Daniel smiled up at him. "Teal'c hates the snow. We'll slaughter them."

Jack headed back to his bed, with a wave of hand and a quiet, "Merry Christmas, Daniel."


End file.
